Inaction over alcohol abuse

The issue of responsible drinking (or combating excessive alcohol consumption) has been a much discussed, but unresolved matter being grappled with by the authorities. The enforcement of the mandatory 2:00 am closing time, or “curfew,” for nightclubs and bars, as purveyors of alcoholic beverages, by the Minister of Public Security, received both support and condemnation from different segments of the public since it was announced in 2015. The Ministry itself has also suspended this initiative to accommodate public merrymaking during some nationally celebrated holidays, and so has also stood on both sides of the issue, a kind of waffling approach which too has been criticised by those supporting the curfew.

The rationale behind suspending the compulsory closing time for bars to facilitate a weekend of heightened festivities which very likely would include much of the practices that the closing deadline was supposed to eradicate is not a clear one at all. Nevertheless, there has been intermittent focus on the issue of bringing the nation into conforming to responsible drinking habits which, of necessity, would include the eradication of underage drinking.

Recently, the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers Association (WIRSPA) announced “the launch of an initiative to promote responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages” (SN September 24, 2018). WIRSPA, which is currently chaired by Demerara Distillers Ltd. Chairman, Guyanese Komal Samaroo, said in its statement, “We believe, and current regulatory advice maintains, that responsible drinking remains a valued and enjoyable part of life in a modern society. Notwithstanding, we cannot ignore the negative impact on our societies caused by the excessive consumption of alcohol.” This is a laudable stance by the regional alcohol producers to seek to regulate themselves in the absence of official regulation, but it remains to be seen how much progress will be made by them to curtail alcohol abuse and to promote “responsible drinking” across the spectrum of consumers.

Not so long ago, the concern about irresponsible drinking reached the hallowed halls of Parliament itself, with Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, charging that alcohol is regularly consumed in Parliament itself – a claim which was repeatedly disputed by several government members of the House. Nevertheless, this renewed focus on drinking elicited a response on the topic from the President who said that the Ministry of Public Health is currently pioneering a national plan to tackle excessive alcohol consumption with a focus on schools. When ques-

tioned specifically about this national plan, the Minister of Public Security, apart from conceding his awareness of such a plan, did not elaborate nor say if his Ministry was to have any input. The inability of our reporters to elicit a comment on the alleged plan from the Minister of Public Health means that to date no real information has come from the government about the progress of this plan or its roll out date.

And it might be a fair expectation of the public, nevertheless, that if this is to be a national plan, that there would be input from various ministries, agencies and definitely the producers themselves so as to gauge, as far as possible, the social and economic impact of the necessary and stringent measures that must be taken to arrest the obvious excessive consumption of alcohol that has been taking place in Guyana for decades.

Alcohol use, misuse and abuse has been responsible for, or played a role in, many domestic violence cases, traffic accidents (including those involving the police), murders, and also leading to the deterioration of the physical and mental health of the general populace. Alcohol consumption by minors may also account for much of the anti-social behaviour and criminal activity of some youth. If Guyana was a more sophisticated country, given to compiling data and information and making statistical analysis to inform decision making, we might be able to calculate the cost to this country of our prolonged indulgence in excessive alcohol consumption. Applying the concept of “opportunity cost” which means “the loss of other alternatives when one alternative is chosen,” we might have been able to see clearly what positive benefits are being sacrificed at the altar of our excessive alcohol addiction.

Former Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, has added his voice to the fray, criticising government for being too slow in the formulation of the promised national plan to promote responsible drinking and accusing the Ministry of Public Health of having “no strategy” at this point. Indeed, since 2015, President Granger is on record as describing alcohol consumption as “one of two evils” troubling the nation, and even in 2014 as the then parliamentary Opposition’s shadow Minister of Health, Volda Lawrence was very vocal on the issue of ease of accessibility of alcohol, saying “It matters not how large the budget is nor how substantial the increase allocated to the social services sector once there continues to be easy access to cheap alcohol in the communities… we as a nation will surely pay the price.”

Pre and post 2015, the Guyanese people have heard all the pronouncements by parliamentary and government officials on the issue of excessive alcohol consumption, and we listened to the castigating opprobrium hurled from both sides of the aisle at the other side on the matter, and paid rapt attention to those sound bites today as yesterday and concluded that they all expressed good intent to tackle a problem of great magnitude leading to moral decay, declining family values, and death in our society.

With all of our legislators and government officials including the President in seeming agreement that the issue of “excessive alcohol consumption” in Guyana needs to be addressed, we are left in a quandary at the continuing delay, foot dragging and inaction that attaches to a matter of such critical importance.

Hopefully, the producers themselves will succeed in their promised initiative.